Charity of the week: The Blacksmith Institute
The Blacksmith Institute works in the most environmentally compromised areas of the developing world.
The Blacksmith Institute (BlacksmithInstitute.org) works in the most environmentally compromised areas of the developing world, where life-threatening pollution affects the health of more than 100 million people, especially children. Since its foundation in 1999, Blacksmith has completed more than 50 cleanup projects in 21 countries, working with locals to assess damage, remove industrial wastes, and develop strategies to prevent further pollution. In recent years, Blacksmith used earthworms to eat toxic heavy metals in the soil of Kanpur, India; taught gold miners in Indonesia how to reduce their mercury emissions; and installed water filters in schools in Kyrgyzstan, where the water supply was contaminated by radioactive waste from an old uranium mine.
Each charity we feature has earned a four-star overall rating from Charity Navigator, which ranks not-for-profit organizations on the strength of their finances, their control of administrative and fundraising expenses, and the transparency of their operations. Four stars is the group’s highest ranking.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Scottish hospitality shines at these 7 hotels
The Week Recommends Sleep well at these lovely inns across Scotland
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
Scientists invent a solid carbon-negative building material
Under the radar Building CO2 into the buildings
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Crossword: April 1, 2025
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published